Paste tube closure



1935- E. w ENTRIKEN PASTE TUBE CLOSURE Filed Nov. 4, 1955 m n W dbtomwq Patented Au 20,1935

PATENT" Q'FFITCE J zgousafv L P1SSTE}IUBECOSUBE a r A mmettgw; Entrikemn Baltimore; ill/Id.

ApplicationNoven lber '4, 1933,5S rial Nam-s59 4-Qlaimsi (01. 221-60) The inventionirelates to a closurevparticularly adapted, for use-with collapsible-tubes, though this; closure:is.=capab1e of I more general application. r

5 The; inconvenience and waste incident tune "use of toothpastershaving l soap, paints; cements and 1 other commodities-sold :in collapsible tubes 1 closed by'means of the well known-screencap, are mattersof generaliknowledge. While variwi ousmore or lesscomplicated closures for this;

purpose have been devised with a; view to discovering these difliculties,- ,they are-all-so expen sive to-Vconstruct.-thatln one of them have come into-general use, so that the screw cap on I ack count lof its'cheapnesslisstill-the'generally accepted closure for; this-itype of container, .being used on. ninety-nineper cents of the collapsible tube packagessold, v e I Thatlthe screwcap per se is inconvenient, sunl- .2o.- desirable andewholly insufiicient for the purpose in hand .isarfact :so clearly demonstrated. in every household that'iti is hardly opento discussion.

The: screw; capsswhen used as closures for tooth, pasteandishaving soap tubes, which use is most familiar? to the general. public, are not only mislaid and lost in various ways; too numerous to 1 explaimlbut are very frequently, dropped into' the. -hand basin and washed down the waste pipe wherethey .are. not only lost (but have the ;fur-

ther,efiect-of cloggingsthepassage, This results.

inw considerable degree.v of h annoyance", and. ex-

pense, Aside from .tliisvconsiderationthe loss of thebap causes drying of the contentsofthe tubeat the discharge. passage .so that the tube is rm'aturedin. the-effort tojextrude the dried ac cumulation-...o'f,paste in I the, discharge passage.

The container thus becomes. useless (on) account:

of thel leakage of other cQntentsQand 1 is. either. discarded with .the contents orv a; largespe'rcen'tagel of a the contents is wastedlbyleakage; Also, theremoval of. the cap. in order; to use. the contents :of thentubeeandt theattemptlto. hold it in one hand. or find.-;a 'safeuplaceh toldepositiit i012 use insoles-- inglthetube afterthe useiof thelcontents isifor 5; the tiin'e .being completed; linvolves anlawkwardI andltrouble'somee efiort 011a considerable. mental hazard; in the attempt. to., remember the. placew ofideposit whenrthelcapislrequired;

' It is also of interest that the majoritmof the V prior. art ldevices.intendedzasa substitute for the screw cap involve various changes-iin-;or. dep artures. from -the standard construction "of v the neck of the tube to which the; improved types: of closures :oftheprior rart. are. used; and: such avari ationsz involveaneexpensewhich isuprohibitivedn:

containers which must} be thrown away f when the contentsare consumed,and therefore I :f-The. invention provides aclosure which l .t l a, .v tq' h; it can be otherwise" utilized'is preferably ternbodied in a screw eap whichcanbeuapplied to;

the standard containert and which, therefore; in; 10.2

its-usereduires nochange of the tube construevti on and may further be sold separately to the consumer as an accessory to be applied to any package in .the' form of a collapsible tube or other container. havingv a similar closure which 15? he may: have .in hand for j use, I the, improved cap being under these circumstances transferred, froml one container toanother as the contents areco'nsumed. 1' Itlis of further and controlling interest meme capv of ,the ,inventionwith the: 2 improved closure. is. so. devised v thatv the. :egr-; penselinv'olvedin its production is but slightly,

in excess ofthatoi anordinary screw cap, the} .cap'being in factcapfable. of production with the;

olditype. of.vv die with a slight variationl whereby.

.the discharge opening, extndslthrough the top of the, cap. This; discharge opening is, in act-s cordance with theinvention} .closed by a pivoted plate. which overlies the topgor .the cap in closed.

positi 'mgandiswingsover. and off .ofsthe top of V the caplt'oopen position, the plate lbe'ing' pivoted.

to the. cap at one side land having. opposite the=- pivot; a. lug which engages the outeixedge of the:

terfsol fl'latihQClOSiIlg it looks the pivotedlplate becauseiof the fact that, the ,inside of the; lug is l f of a radius .from the. pivot less thari the corres spending greatest lat'er'ali dimension offthe, cap

orl head of. the container.'

Inltheaccompanying diawin'g'jl have illustrated g a closure. for a.c'o11apsihle' tube. embodyirligithe featurestofltheinvention' in the preferredlorm Ihlthedrawing': T f Figure. 1V is. a iront elevation of the top. port of jthe container tubelshowingthe-closure afllgregz 45::

and'in closed position.

Eigure 2 is .a 7 side elevation of the the? neck! somewhat shortened. l

Referring to;the/drawing.lbysnurnerals,"each:oft 55? cular peripheral outwardly projecting flangqor preferred form is threaded externally at"4 for o engagement with'a flanged head or cap 5 which may be otherwise" secured inany suitable man ner, the engagement of the cap to the neck be-- ing intendedto be more or less permanent.- The closure for controlling the discharge of the con- .1 tents of the tube from the neck opening 3:is piv-"n otally mounted on the top surface of the cap or' head and'adapted to be quickly and easily opened and closed in using the contents of the tube,'the

closure being conveniently operated by a finger or thumb of the hand which holds the tube,

leaving the other hand free and thus facilitating the use of 'a brush or other implement, as herein-' after more fullydescribed'.

The cap-or head 5 is provided'with a flat mp ,surfacefi at-right angles to the axis of thetube and the neck opening '3 extends downwardlyfrom this: surface into the inside of the tube. The cap, or'head 5 is further provided with: a cirlip I, the bottom surface 8 of which is -parallel to the top surface 6. The surfaces 6 and 8 are preferably at eright an'gles to the axis of the The closure of the discharge opening 3 to'prevent: the unintended discharge of the contentsof the tube and the subsequent opening of the same to'discharge the contents of the tube at the will of the consumer, is effected by'means of a flat plate 9 which closely overliesthe fiat horizontal top surface 6 of the head'orcap 5, the same being mounted onthe top surface 6 of the cap or' head and pivotally connectedtherereto by means of a pin III which is parallel to the axis of the 'tube and passes downwardly through the head,

being permanently seated atits lower'end at II the head near one side and the pivoted plate 9 is provided at its opposite side but slightly. off center, i. e. out of line with the long diameter of the head which extends through the pivot I0 with a depending hook or projection I2 which extends downwardly across the' edge surface I5. of'the flangelof the'cap or head 5 having its lower end I4 turned under'said flange forming a tab or vlug which engages the bottom horizontal surface 8 of said flange or lip serving in closed positionto .hold theflat plate a in closejcontact with the top horizontal flat'surface 6 of the cap I or head surrounding the discharge opening 3.

It is of"particular importance not only that:

the top surface 6 of the caporheadi and bottom surface; of the flange The parallel contributing to the ease, cheapness and convenience of manufacture, but that the pin I0 and the inner surface ofshank I5! of hook or projection I2 beoff center andout of line with the long diameter of the plate 9 extending through the center of the pin, the pin and the inner surface of the shank I5 off the hook'or projection IZ bein'g spaced by a distance slightly less than the distance from the 7 pin) to the opposite and most remote edge of the lip or flange I. For this reason as the plate 9 swings into closed position as shown in Figures 1 1, 2 4, and 5, the hook I2 swing inwardly against the outer peripheral Surface IS of the flange or lip I of the head or cap, locking this pivoted plate in closed: position and further eliminating closing respectivelyof ascrew 02,15. V

' In operation of the c'a'p' o'f'th invention, which may to advantage be manufactured'for sale as aseparate commodity; as well as for use as astock any chance that the plate may rotate past locking position which would result in loosening the lug and pin and in confusion-as to the manner and direction of opening.

The inner surface of the shank I5 of hook I2 is thus brought with a wedging action in close contact with the peripheral edge surface I5 of the head 5. e V v V a The closure in the form of pivoted plate 9 is thusheldoby the frictional engagement of shank I5-"with edge surface I5 of the head 5 in closed position and retained with the bottom of the plate 9-1in close contact with the flat top surface 6 of the head oricap 5, by the lug I4 which engages the "bottom'surface 8 of the flange or lip I of head 5 While' thetop plate or closure Simay be mount- 'edto- -swing either to the right or to the'left, as themanufacturer may prefer, the preferred arrangement as illustrated is to have'it close in the direction of=the screwing down of the cap so that th'swin'ging of the plate to open and closed position may be performedwith a motion similar'to' that performed -'in'- the unscrewing and closure by manufacturersof toothpaste, shaving soap and the like, the cap isi first screwed down' tightly on the neck of the container sol as to prevent accidental removal or-it'may, if-desired;

as already pointed out, be secured or mountedon the neck'injany preferred manner, being ineffect' permanently attached so as to eliminate the tendency to unscrew in operating the-closure plate 9. In usingthecont'ents of the tube the consumer naturallyholds the tub ein one hand and the brush or other implement in the other hand, operating" the closure plate with thethumb-and finger of the'hand which holds the tube,'or theplate may,"of course, be operated in any preferred It is of considerable importance that'the cap,

as described can a be produced by means of a simple punching or pressing operation by means of adie slightlyivaried from the die'used in making-the ordinary'sc'rew Jcap andthat the closure plate can also be" produced with a very simple dieby'a singlefstamping operation so that the cost of the improved cap of th QlIlVBI'ltlOII, as al-l readypointedout, is so slightly inexcess of the cost of an ordinarys'crew cap that it. can be pro 11. A screw capadapted' for use in cooperation witha'container having; a threaded neck with a dischargeopening thereimthe cap having a flat topfsurfacewith a discharge opening therein and a circular flange with a bottom surface parallel to the top surface of the cap, both said surfaces being substantially at right angles to the axis of said flange, a closure plate overlying s'aid'flat top surface and pivoted to the flange to swing Over and off of said top surface, a hook formed on the other side of the plate and adapted to extend down over the flange, the hook having a shank and a lug atthe lower end of the shank engaging the bottom surface of the flange in the closed position of the plate, the spacing of the inner surfaceof the shank from the pivot being slightly less than the greatest dimension of-the flange from the pivot to theopposite peripheral rection and to open position in the opposite direction.

' 2 Aremovable cap for use on av collapsible tube having a neck with a discharge opening, and

- portion of the peripheral surface of the flange whereby as the closure plate is swung to closed position, the shank of the hook is moved inwardly means for attaching the cap'to the neck to close .the opening, the cap having a flat top surface with a discharge opening therein, a peripheral flange with a bottom surf ace parallel to the said top surface, bcth said surfaces being substantially at right angles to the axis of the neck, a closure plate fitting the top of the cap andoverlying its top 1 surface and pivotally mounted on the cap-with the pivot at one side, a hook depending fronithe side of the top plate opposite the pivot, the hook having a shank and a lug engagingbeneath the flange inthe closed position of the plate, the hook V being at one side of a line drawn from the pivot through the center of the cap and having the inner surface of the shank'spaced from the pivot by a distance slightly less than the greatest dimension of the flange from the pivot to the remote tion.

against the peripheral surface of the flange effect- I inga frictional locking of the plate by engagement of the inner surface of the shank of the hook with the outer peripheral surface of the flange preventing rotation of the plate through and. beyond locking position.

3. A container cap having a flat top surface with a discharge opening therein, and a peripheral flange, a closure plate overlying and fitting the top surface of. the cap'and pivoted thereto at one side to swing over and off of the said, top surface to open position, the closure plate having a depending projection remote from the pivot and extending down over the flange, the projection having its inner surface spaced from the pivot by a distance slightly less than the distance from the pivot to the peripheral edge of the flange most remote from the pivot so that in closing the projection swings inwardly against the edge of the flange, locking the plate in closed position by the friction of the inner'surface of the projection against the edge of the flange preventing rotation of the plate through and beyond closed position. 4. A container head having a flat top surface with a discharge opening near thecenter, the

head having a flangevlith a bottom surface parallel to the top surface, said surfaces beingparallel, a closure plate pivoted on the head, at one side, on an axis at right angles to said parallel surfaces, a projection at the opposite side of the plate from the pivot extending down over .the

flange, the projection having a 'lugengaging the bottom surface of the flange in the closed posi-- tion of the plate, the spacing of the inner surface of the projection from the pivot being slight- 1y less than the greatest dimension of the flange from the pivot to the opposite peripheral surface of the flange'whereby as the closure, plate is. swung to closed, position the projection is;

moved inwardly bringing its inner surface against the peripheral surface of the flange, providing a frictional locking of the plate by engagement of the inner' surface of the projection with the peripheral surface of the flange and preventing the rotation of the plate beyond the closed posi- 

